Now, if you are reading this and thinking to yourself, Isn’t the fact that you can use steel cut oats for overnight oats incredibly obvious?, please consider the great fictional romances of our time. Wasn’t it also obvious that Harry would end up with Sally? That Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan were meant to be (twice)? That Ross would finally win over Rachel? Why, yes. But that doesn’t make the evolution of the love story any less satisfying....
This recipe is sponsored by DeLallo. “Primavera” (pronounced “pree-muh-VERH-ah”) means “spring” in Italian. “Pasta primavera” refers to a pasta made “spring style”: filled with spring vegetables. Asparagus, peas, carrots, and broccoli are three popular spring vegetables used to make pasta primavera, but you can easily swap them with the season. Here in Wisconsin where I live, asparagus is finally making its long-awaited appearance (bring on the Asparagus Soup!), so I have been cooking with it a lot....
Since starting a food blog, I’ve learned that every ingredient, every recipe category, and even every lima bean (April 20th) has its own “holiday.” Honestly, unless it’s a day when I’m a) freakishly organized, b) feeling kitschy, and c) totally obsessed with whatever food is “on holiday,” I tend to miss most of these events. Grilled cheese is an exception for a few reasons: One. We eat it all the time, holiday or not....
Pick up a couple salmon fillets on your way home from work today, don your favorite frilly apron (yes men, you too), and prepare to wow yourself with your own culinary savoir faire. This hearty salmon feels ultra chic in that special, instantaneous way that adding a French word or phrase onto just about anything automatically does. Say “ooooh la la” out loud right now…See what I mean? In reality all meuniere (pronounced “muhn-yair”) refers to is the preparation of the fish, which is little more than a flour dredge, a quick sauté in butter, and a hit of lemon and parsley....
I first saw pulled chicken sandwiches in a spiral bound cookbook that we received at school. Its pages were printed on a home computer. The “book” is long since lost, but I can remember a few things about it: It has fun cartoon drawings, including a very friendly chicken in a chef’s hat that was on this chicken sandwiches’ page.The recipes were old fashioned—the kind of thing you’d find in a cookbook written in Ohio in the 1950s....
If you are the person in your household who tries to get to the sheet pan of roasted Brussels sprouts first to snag the darkest, crispiest ones before anyone else can get to them, then smashed Brussels sprouts are the side dish for you. (You’ll also adore these crispy Brussels Sprouts Chips.) The “smashed” technique we’re deploying here is not new. I borrowed it from smashed potatoes, which are a steakhouse favorite and outrageously delicious, even if like me, you aren’t usually a white potato fan....
Thick, pillowy, and studded with chocolate chips, these soft Zucchini Cookies get right back to the basics of one of zucchini’s most fantastic qualities. You can use zucchini to bake yummy, healthy desserts! Zucchini makes for wholesome desserts that: These delish Zucchini Chocolate Chip Cookies are made with more nutritious ingredients, don’t require you to chill the dough, and like many of my favorite healthy cookie recipes, they’re sweet enough to leave you satisfied without sending you into sugar overload....
I know because I was one. Ever since cooking these bone-in, skin-on Air Fryer Chicken Thighs, I have been converted to the dark side. As in, dark meat. I’ve long loved bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs for their juiciness, affordability, and nutrient density. Lean and higher in many vitamins and minerals than chicken breasts, chicken legs are healthy folks! Easily made gluten-free and low-carb! But forced to choose on taste alone, I leaned towards white meat like Air Fryer Chicken Breast....
What’s happening in the pan: apples caramelizing; juicy chicken searing; apple cider bubbling; rosemary making your whole kitchen smell like fall. This apple cider chicken skillet is a healthy, simple meal takes just ONE PAN and is ready in 30 minutes. She’s a finalist for Miss Fall Dinner, and I must say, she has an excellent shot at the tiara. I’m relieved that this recipe was a hit at our house, because after Sunday’s apple picking extravaganza, I have A LOT of apples to go through....
The endless versatility and ease of smoothies will never cease to bring me joy. A classic Strawberry Smoothie is always a welcome favorite.Trendy concoctions, like this Turmeric Smoothie, offer inspiration.And a Cleansing Apple Avocado Smoothie fuels your body with a boost of extra nutrition. My latest obsession? Thick and creamy blackberry smoothies that offer a wonderfully familiar and satisfying berry flavor with the unexpected warmth of cinnamon. How to Make a Blackberry Smoothie Recipe Tart apple, moody blackberries, smooth vanilla, and earthy cinnamon offer a perfectly balanced smoothie that is naturally sweetened with dates....
Like a rainstorm that starts with a roll of thunder or a chick flick’s happy ending, zucchini is predictable. From late July through September, it dominates backyard gardens and farm stands, and my freezer slowly fills with loaf after loaf of zucchini bread. Since a gal can only eat so many zucchini muffins (and zucchini brownies and zucchini waffles), I’m stockpiling my collection of easy zucchini dinner recipes, including today’s Blackened Zucchini Tacos....
These dark chocolate banana muffins are supremely moist and fudgy, packed with double the chocolate in the form of both chocolate chips (inside and on top) and cocoa powder (a lot), and their high-rise domed tops are prime for picking, munching, and licking off your fingers. If you’ve been following this blog for any stretch of time you—and, this expansive collection of healthy muffin recipes—can attest that I take my muffin game very seriously....
Like my family, Ben’s extended family usually makes a big, delicious to-do of holiday meals, but the past few weeks have been so frantic (surgeries, illnesses) that the fact that Easter is this very Sunday has just now registered. We may end up getting the larger family together last minute, or Ben and I may just go out to brunch with his parents. In either case, I’ll be with people I love, eating good food....
From quesadillas to even salads, we haven’t run out of ways to use this crockpot chicken yet. I’m not concerned. It’s so darn tasty and healthy to boot, I am content to continue to brainstorm more ways we can enjoy it. So far, I’ve come up with 10 different ideas—be sure to check them out later in the post! Making Mexican chicken in the slow cooker is one of those “coming of age” foundational kitchen hacks that will suit you at any and every phase of life....
This recipe is a riff on my favorite Crockpot Beef Stew. (If the Instant Pot is your preferred appliance, be sure to check out its cousin Instant Pot Beef Stew too.) Compared to my original beef stew, this homemade soup has a few more vegetables and a little less prep. Most of the action happens in the slow cooker while you aren’t paying attention, so you can get back to more pressing matters—like trying your hand at an at-home baking project (No Knead Focaccia anyone?...
Maybe it’s the later sunsets, the melting snow, or the first signs of decent-looking fresh produce (hello, Pea Salad) that made me giddy enough to look at broccoli stalks and conclude, “These need ribbon. Make it satin.” In Wisconsin, we wait a long (LONG) time for spring. So whenever I start to sense its fresh, damp, floral scent breaking the winter air at last I get a little carried away in the kitchen with fresh spring recipes....
It’s flavorful enough to hold my attention, satisfying enough to keep me full, and nutritious enough to be a worthy addition to our healthy dinner rotation. A mixture of potatoes, lean ground beef, onion, bell pepper, and spices, this beef and potatoes skillet will appeal to picky eaters and discerning palates alike. Most often, the phrase “meat and potatoes” means a lack of eating adventure. A “meat and potatoes” person shies away from green vegetables, plant-based proteins like tofu, and spices....
The day we moved into our new house, my friend Maggie arrived in our barren kitchen with a pan of peanut butter rice krispies treats. “I don’t know what it is about rice krispie treats,” she said by way of explanation, “but they really hit the spot.” She was right. It had been ages since I’d had one, and I forgot how satisfying a simple rice krispie treat can be....
Since this time of year is especially busy (and I expect a few of you might have an Instant Pot on your wish list!), I wanted to take a moment to share this lentil curry coconut recipe. It takes mere minutes to prep, the entire thing cooks in one pot, and it yields a generous batch that reheats beautifully. Like my Tofu Curry, this creamy lentil curry also manages the tricky feat of being both stick-to-your-ribs warm and comforting (what my body wants) AND feel-great nutritious (what my body needs)....
Or rather, you haven’t tried this Instant Pot mac and cheese. After having multiple recipe fails on a dish that the internet assured me was foolproof, I can now attest this is the best, creamiest, most (actually) foolproof recipe of them all. Water, noodles, four minutes of pressure cook time, add the cheese. BOOM. Better-than-the-blue-box bliss is yours! Part of what made this mac and cheese recipe tricky to get right is that I couldn’t let it be just any mac and cheese you can make in a pressure cooker....
